Exclusive: The McDonald’s All American Games, the all star game for high school basketball players, has featured the likes of Michael Jordan, Kobe Bryant and LeBron James.
It is now the subject of a new feature documentary for Amazon.
The streamer has greenlit the film, which comes from Roc Nation, Known, and Creative Control, for its Prime Video service.
The McDonald’s All American Games featured many of the NBA’s biggest legends before they made it big. The game started in 1977 and has catapulted high school seniors into the NBA, and, for many, turned their dreams of superstardom into reality.
The doc tells the story through the eyes of the legends it’s created, the lives it’s changed, and the communities it’s transformed. Production started last year and will include coverage of the 2022 and 2023 games as well as other historical moments.
The game also opened up...
It is now the subject of a new feature documentary for Amazon.
The streamer has greenlit the film, which comes from Roc Nation, Known, and Creative Control, for its Prime Video service.
The McDonald’s All American Games featured many of the NBA’s biggest legends before they made it big. The game started in 1977 and has catapulted high school seniors into the NBA, and, for many, turned their dreams of superstardom into reality.
The doc tells the story through the eyes of the legends it’s created, the lives it’s changed, and the communities it’s transformed. Production started last year and will include coverage of the 2022 and 2023 games as well as other historical moments.
The game also opened up...
- 4/13/2023
- by Peter White
- Deadline Film + TV
MGM+ has given the green light to Hollywood Black, a documentary series from director Justin Simien that aims to serve as “a definitive chronicle of a century of the Black experience in Hollywood.”
The four-part series, based on the work of scholar Donald Bogle, is being produced by Simien’s Culture Machine, Forest Whitaker and Nina Yang Bongiovi’s Significant Productions, and the Academy Award-winning production company RadicalMedia.
“We are thrilled to work with Justin Simien, Jeffrey Schwarz, RadicalMedia, and to expand our prolific creative partnership with Forest and Nina,” Michael Wright, head of MGM+, said in a statement. “Hollywood Black, like other recent MGM+ docuseries, is an entertaining and thoughtful look at a vital part of American culture, examining the evolution of Black cinema and the talented artists who built it. It is a timely and relevant look at the Black experience in Hollywood.”
Simien’s credits include directing the 2014 film Dear White People,...
The four-part series, based on the work of scholar Donald Bogle, is being produced by Simien’s Culture Machine, Forest Whitaker and Nina Yang Bongiovi’s Significant Productions, and the Academy Award-winning production company RadicalMedia.
“We are thrilled to work with Justin Simien, Jeffrey Schwarz, RadicalMedia, and to expand our prolific creative partnership with Forest and Nina,” Michael Wright, head of MGM+, said in a statement. “Hollywood Black, like other recent MGM+ docuseries, is an entertaining and thoughtful look at a vital part of American culture, examining the evolution of Black cinema and the talented artists who built it. It is a timely and relevant look at the Black experience in Hollywood.”
Simien’s credits include directing the 2014 film Dear White People,...
- 4/11/2023
- by Matthew Carey
- Deadline Film + TV
Cinema Eye Honors, the organization that recognizes outstanding artistic achievement in nonfiction and documentary films & series, announced the first round of their 2023 awards and nominations at its annual Cinema Eye Fall Lunch held in Los Angeles.
In the five Broadcast categories, HBO film “Four Hours at the Capitol,” an inside look at the January 6th riot, led with three nominations: Broadcast Film, Broadcast Editing and Broadcast Cinematography. Other projects like the Disney+ docuseries “The Beatles: Get Back” and Showtime’s “We Need to Talk About Cosby” also received more than one nomination.
Other announcements at the event include the annual Shorts List, which spotlights 10 of the year’s top documentary short films, and the recipient of the Legacy Award this year, Terry Zwigoff’s 1995 film “Crumb.”
“I’m glad to find out you don’t have to be dead to receive this award,” Zwigoff said in a written statement. “I...
In the five Broadcast categories, HBO film “Four Hours at the Capitol,” an inside look at the January 6th riot, led with three nominations: Broadcast Film, Broadcast Editing and Broadcast Cinematography. Other projects like the Disney+ docuseries “The Beatles: Get Back” and Showtime’s “We Need to Talk About Cosby” also received more than one nomination.
Other announcements at the event include the annual Shorts List, which spotlights 10 of the year’s top documentary short films, and the recipient of the Legacy Award this year, Terry Zwigoff’s 1995 film “Crumb.”
“I’m glad to find out you don’t have to be dead to receive this award,” Zwigoff said in a written statement. “I...
- 10/20/2022
- by Marcus Jones
- Indiewire
“Four Hours at the Capitol,” “The Beatles: Get Back,” “Playing With Sharks,” “We Need to Talk About Cosby,” “Stanley Tucci: Searching for Italy” and “How To With John Wilson” are among the nonfiction television programs that have been nominated in the Cinema Eye Honors broadcast categories, Cinema Eye Honors announced at the organization’s annual fall lunch in Los Angeles on Thursday.
“Four Hours at the Capitol,” Jamie Roberts’ HBO film about the Jan. 6 insurrection, received three nominations to lead all programs. “Get Back,” “Cosby,” “Stanley Tucci,” “John Wilson” and “Playing With Sharks” each received two nominations.
Along with “Four Hours at the Capitol” and “Playing With Sharks,” broadcast film nominees were “Chernobyl: The Lost Tapes,” “Downfall: The Case Against Boeing” and “George Carlin’s American Dream.” Nonfiction series nominees were “Get Back,” “Cosby,” “Black and Missing,” “Keep Sweet: Pray and Obey,” “LuLaRich” and “Mind Over Murder.” Nominated anthology series...
“Four Hours at the Capitol,” Jamie Roberts’ HBO film about the Jan. 6 insurrection, received three nominations to lead all programs. “Get Back,” “Cosby,” “Stanley Tucci,” “John Wilson” and “Playing With Sharks” each received two nominations.
Along with “Four Hours at the Capitol” and “Playing With Sharks,” broadcast film nominees were “Chernobyl: The Lost Tapes,” “Downfall: The Case Against Boeing” and “George Carlin’s American Dream.” Nonfiction series nominees were “Get Back,” “Cosby,” “Black and Missing,” “Keep Sweet: Pray and Obey,” “LuLaRich” and “Mind Over Murder.” Nominated anthology series...
- 10/20/2022
- by Steve Pond
- The Wrap
Click here to read the full article.
Step behind the velvet ropes to see how the stars celebrated TV’s biggest night. In the first full-blown Emmys weekend since 2019, there’s a full slate of events leading up to Monday night’s ceremony, with Netflix, Disney, HBO, Apple, Paramount, UTA and CAA all hosting celebrations — along with The Hollywood Reporter and SAG-AFTRA’s own Nominees Night bash. The annual BAFTA TV Tea Party, though, will no longer go on following Queen Elizabeth II’s death.
Get an inside look from THR staffers, who were at all the hottest parties alongside TV’s top talent and execs.
UTA
Awards weekends typically kick off with a string of talent agency bashes and this year was no different as UTA posted up on the rooftop of the chic Waldorf Astoria in Beverly Hills. It boasted nominee and Emmy Awards host Kenan Thompson on...
Step behind the velvet ropes to see how the stars celebrated TV’s biggest night. In the first full-blown Emmys weekend since 2019, there’s a full slate of events leading up to Monday night’s ceremony, with Netflix, Disney, HBO, Apple, Paramount, UTA and CAA all hosting celebrations — along with The Hollywood Reporter and SAG-AFTRA’s own Nominees Night bash. The annual BAFTA TV Tea Party, though, will no longer go on following Queen Elizabeth II’s death.
Get an inside look from THR staffers, who were at all the hottest parties alongside TV’s top talent and execs.
UTA
Awards weekends typically kick off with a string of talent agency bashes and this year was no different as UTA posted up on the rooftop of the chic Waldorf Astoria in Beverly Hills. It boasted nominee and Emmy Awards host Kenan Thompson on...
- 9/10/2022
- by Chris Gardner and Kirsten Chuba
- The Hollywood Reporter - Movie News
Click here to read the full article.
Outstanding Documentary Or Nonfiction Series
The Andy Warhol Diaries (Netflix)
Writer-director Andrew Rossi and exec producer Ryan Murphy draw from the 1989 book of the same name to offer an intimate portrait of the late artist’s public and private lives. It dropped March 9 (more recently than any competitor), is rated 97 percent on Rotten Tomatoes and landed three other noms, including directing and writing.
The Beatles: Get Back (Disney+)
The Beatles Get Back Documentary
Disney+, the service behind 2021’s winner, Secrets of the Whales, returns to contention with Peter Jackson’s remarkable depiction — drawing from 57 hours of film and 140 hours of audio — of The Beatles’ prep for their final public performance on a London rooftop in 1969. Its five nominations (directing among them) are a category high.
jeen-yuhs: A Kanye Trilogy (Netflix)
Kanye ‘Ye’ West in jeen-yuhs: A Kanye Trilogy.
Filmed over two decades and...
Outstanding Documentary Or Nonfiction Series
The Andy Warhol Diaries (Netflix)
Writer-director Andrew Rossi and exec producer Ryan Murphy draw from the 1989 book of the same name to offer an intimate portrait of the late artist’s public and private lives. It dropped March 9 (more recently than any competitor), is rated 97 percent on Rotten Tomatoes and landed three other noms, including directing and writing.
The Beatles: Get Back (Disney+)
The Beatles Get Back Documentary
Disney+, the service behind 2021’s winner, Secrets of the Whales, returns to contention with Peter Jackson’s remarkable depiction — drawing from 57 hours of film and 140 hours of audio — of The Beatles’ prep for their final public performance on a London rooftop in 1969. Its five nominations (directing among them) are a category high.
jeen-yuhs: A Kanye Trilogy (Netflix)
Kanye ‘Ye’ West in jeen-yuhs: A Kanye Trilogy.
Filmed over two decades and...
- 8/12/2022
- by Scott Feinberg
- The Hollywood Reporter - Movie News
Exclusive: Rtg Features (Alaskan Nets) and Msm (The Last Dance) have tapped David Charles Rodrigues (Neymar: The Perfect Chao) to direct a new feature doc about the high-scoring NBA trio of Tim Hardaway, Mitch Richmond and Chris Mullin—collectively known as Run Tmc—and how they set the stage for the present-day dynasty of the world-champion Golden State Warriors, led by Stephen Curry, Klay Thompson and Draymond Green.
Led by Hall of Fame coach Don Nelson, Run Tmc showcased “Nellie Ball” and ushered in the modern NBA. While the two brief seasons that Hardaway, Richmond and Mullin played together from 1989-1991 didn’t yield any championships, they birthed life-long friendships. Billed as “the most fun fun sports doc of all time”, the as-yet-untitled feature will be a three-man weave combining basketball, hip-hop, the Bay Area and late-’80s/early-’90s nostalgia.
Mason Gordon will produce for Msm, with Rtg Features acting as the studio.
Led by Hall of Fame coach Don Nelson, Run Tmc showcased “Nellie Ball” and ushered in the modern NBA. While the two brief seasons that Hardaway, Richmond and Mullin played together from 1989-1991 didn’t yield any championships, they birthed life-long friendships. Billed as “the most fun fun sports doc of all time”, the as-yet-untitled feature will be a three-man weave combining basketball, hip-hop, the Bay Area and late-’80s/early-’90s nostalgia.
Mason Gordon will produce for Msm, with Rtg Features acting as the studio.
- 8/9/2022
- by Matt Grobar
- Deadline Film + TV
“jeen-yuhs: A Kanye Trilogy” co-directors Coodie Simmons and Chike Ozah both vividly remember how they first encountered Kanye West as a rapper. For Simmons, it was back in Chicago with West performing with Glc after seeing him lay down beats in local barbershops. “I was like, this dude is the one. He was so charismatic on stage and his lyrics; the things that he was talking about, I was like, this guy is a standout artist,” Simmons tells Gold Derby during our recent webchat (watch the exclusive video interview above). The first time Ozah heard Kanye rap, it was when he played “Jesus Walks” for him. “To be bold enough to rap about Jesus and talented enough to create a song about Jesus. I could literally ride around the block, pumping a song about Jesus and pop my head and feel cool. That’s a major accomplishment!”
See 2022 Emmy nominations:...
See 2022 Emmy nominations:...
- 7/27/2022
- by Charles Bright
- Gold Derby
Until recent years, Emmy and Oscar campaigns only intersected in the documentary categories, as Oscar favorites often continued their momentum into Emmy season. Oscar winners “O.J.: Made in America” and “Free Solo” both won Emmys, launching debates about category fraud and the porous TV vs. film distinction that felt like exercises in futility. That has changed a few times over: First, the TV Academy ruled that Oscar-nominated documentaries didn’t qualify, and then updated its policy this year to clarify that any documentary placed on the Ampav viewing platform was disqualified from Emmy consideration.
Fortunately, there are plenty of documentary achievements to go around. Two of this year’s Emmy nominees in the Outstanding Documentary or Nonfiction Series Category clarify the value of multi-part non-fiction undertakings that are better suited for the episodic domain. These deep-dive investigations into pop culture icons aim to refine, challenge, and contextualize our collective understanding...
Fortunately, there are plenty of documentary achievements to go around. Two of this year’s Emmy nominees in the Outstanding Documentary or Nonfiction Series Category clarify the value of multi-part non-fiction undertakings that are better suited for the episodic domain. These deep-dive investigations into pop culture icons aim to refine, challenge, and contextualize our collective understanding...
- 7/26/2022
- by Eric Kohn
- Indiewire
The TV academy has honored voice-only performances since 1992, when six cast members from “The Simpsons” collectively became the first actors to receive Emmys for such work. The Best Voice-Over Performance category became an official non-juried one in 2009 and was then split into two categories in 2014: Best Character Voice-Over and Best Narrator. Jeremy Irons (“Game of Lions”) made history as the latter category’s first champion, having been awarded once before for “The Great War and the Shaping of the 20th Century: War Without End” in 1997.
The 2022 Best Narrator ballot list below consists of 33 performances. Seeking a fourth victory is David Attenborough (“The Mating Game”), whose three-year streak was broken last year by Sterling K. Brown (“Lincoln: Divided We Stand”). Also in the mix are former winners Peter Coyote (“Benjamin Franklin”) and Keith David (“Muhammad Ali”).
Unlike the live action and fictional program nominees, which are chosen by all 22,000 plus academy members,...
The 2022 Best Narrator ballot list below consists of 33 performances. Seeking a fourth victory is David Attenborough (“The Mating Game”), whose three-year streak was broken last year by Sterling K. Brown (“Lincoln: Divided We Stand”). Also in the mix are former winners Peter Coyote (“Benjamin Franklin”) and Keith David (“Muhammad Ali”).
Unlike the live action and fictional program nominees, which are chosen by all 22,000 plus academy members,...
- 6/24/2022
- by Matthew Stewart
- Gold Derby
A version of this story about “jeen-yuhs” first appeared in the Race Begins issue of TheWrap’s awards magazine.
When Kanye West announced on social media in January that he expected the filmmakers of the documentary “jeen-yuhs: A Kanye Trilogy” to give him final cut, it shouldn’t have come as a surprise to Coodie Simmons and Chike Ozah, friends of Kanye’s from Chicago who’d been accumulating footage for nearly 20 years. After all, they were preparing for a version of the film back in 2006 when the hip-hop artist and producer, in the first flush of fame, announced that they couldn’t release that film because he didn’t want to be seen in unguarded moments.
“I read his message on my birthday that he wanted to shut the movie down,” Coodie said, laughing. (The series’ directing credits read simply “Coodie & Chike.”) “I almost fainted, but at the same time,...
When Kanye West announced on social media in January that he expected the filmmakers of the documentary “jeen-yuhs: A Kanye Trilogy” to give him final cut, it shouldn’t have come as a surprise to Coodie Simmons and Chike Ozah, friends of Kanye’s from Chicago who’d been accumulating footage for nearly 20 years. After all, they were preparing for a version of the film back in 2006 when the hip-hop artist and producer, in the first flush of fame, announced that they couldn’t release that film because he didn’t want to be seen in unguarded moments.
“I read his message on my birthday that he wanted to shut the movie down,” Coodie said, laughing. (The series’ directing credits read simply “Coodie & Chike.”) “I almost fainted, but at the same time,...
- 6/14/2022
- by Steve Pond
- The Wrap
Since its 2002 genesis, the Tribeca Film Festival has celebrated music to a degree uncommon in the film fest world, and the 2022 event gathering again includes a wide array of music-focused events, including not just documentaries and music-centric narrative features but music video premieres, artist conversations, and master classes.
The overlap between film and music is evident right from the start Wednesday night, when the festival will host the world premiere of Jennifer Lopez’s Netflix documentary, “Halftime.” The doc follows the singer’s evolution as an artist, from her performances onscreen and on stages around the world to her 2020 Super Bowl halftime show and beyond.
This year, the lineup will also incorporate songwriters and producers in conversation, including what will surely be a full house at the Beacon Theater for Taylor Swift as she shows and talks about her “All Too Well” short film. Also on deck for conversations are Pharrell Williams,...
The overlap between film and music is evident right from the start Wednesday night, when the festival will host the world premiere of Jennifer Lopez’s Netflix documentary, “Halftime.” The doc follows the singer’s evolution as an artist, from her performances onscreen and on stages around the world to her 2020 Super Bowl halftime show and beyond.
This year, the lineup will also incorporate songwriters and producers in conversation, including what will surely be a full house at the Beacon Theater for Taylor Swift as she shows and talks about her “All Too Well” short film. Also on deck for conversations are Pharrell Williams,...
- 6/8/2022
- by Thania Garcia
- Variety Film + TV
Yessss! Showtime has set a summer premiere date for NYC Point Gods, a feature-length documentary on the enduring impact of New York City point guards who honed their craft on the city’s playgrounds and high school gyms in the 1980s and ’90s.
The pic from Showtime Documentary Films and Kevin Durant and Rich Kleiman’s Boardroom tips off at 9 p.m. Friday, July 29, on the premium cable net.
NYC Point Gods features a who’s who of point guard deities: Kenny Anderson, Mark Jackson, Stephon Marbury, Kenny Smith, Rod Strickland, Dwayne “Pearl” Washington, Rafer Alston and God Shammgod. They brought theatrics, dizzying ball control, stylish misdirection and a shake-and-bake game from the asphalt to the city’s hallowed high school gyms and to the NBA, orchestrating successful offenses at every level.
The pic features extensive interviews and rare footage of the point guards, plus prominent New York voices including Stephen A.
The pic from Showtime Documentary Films and Kevin Durant and Rich Kleiman’s Boardroom tips off at 9 p.m. Friday, July 29, on the premium cable net.
NYC Point Gods features a who’s who of point guard deities: Kenny Anderson, Mark Jackson, Stephon Marbury, Kenny Smith, Rod Strickland, Dwayne “Pearl” Washington, Rafer Alston and God Shammgod. They brought theatrics, dizzying ball control, stylish misdirection and a shake-and-bake game from the asphalt to the city’s hallowed high school gyms and to the NBA, orchestrating successful offenses at every level.
The pic features extensive interviews and rare footage of the point guards, plus prominent New York voices including Stephen A.
- 6/2/2022
- by Erik Pedersen
- Deadline Film + TV
The 2022 Tribeca Festival lineup has officially announced its slate of talks, reunions, and master classes. The June 8–19 festival will host a slew of film and TV premieres, as well as immersive experiences.
Opening night features Jennifer Lopez’s Netflix documentary “Halftime,” followed by fellow Grammy winner Taylor Swift presenting a special screening of “All Too Well: The Short Film,” which Swift directed, wrote and produced. Swift will participate in a conversation post-screening to discuss her approach as a filmmaker.
Swift’s “Amsterdam” co-star and Tribeca Festival co-founder Robert De Niro will also headline exclusive screenings and panels with Al Pacino to discuss “Heat,” while Pacino is set to introduce a remastered version of “the Godfather” for its 50th anniversary.
The Talks program additionally includes Grammy winner Pharrell Williams, NBC “Late Night” host Seth Meyers in conversation with “Saturday Night Live” and “Shrill” star Aidy Bryant, Tony winner Cynthia Erivo, DJ Steve Aoki,...
Opening night features Jennifer Lopez’s Netflix documentary “Halftime,” followed by fellow Grammy winner Taylor Swift presenting a special screening of “All Too Well: The Short Film,” which Swift directed, wrote and produced. Swift will participate in a conversation post-screening to discuss her approach as a filmmaker.
Swift’s “Amsterdam” co-star and Tribeca Festival co-founder Robert De Niro will also headline exclusive screenings and panels with Al Pacino to discuss “Heat,” while Pacino is set to introduce a remastered version of “the Godfather” for its 50th anniversary.
The Talks program additionally includes Grammy winner Pharrell Williams, NBC “Late Night” host Seth Meyers in conversation with “Saturday Night Live” and “Shrill” star Aidy Bryant, Tony winner Cynthia Erivo, DJ Steve Aoki,...
- 5/2/2022
- by Samantha Bergeson
- Indiewire
Kanye West has become possibly the world’s most famous and revered rap star, dominating headlines with his music and his personal life. But there was a time – hard as it is to imagine – when he was pegged as “just” a great record producer, and not a performer in his own right.
The Netflix docuseries Jeen-yuhs: A Kanye Trilogy dials back to that time when Ye (as he calls himself now) struggled to be taken seriously as a solo artist. The series is directed by Coodie Simmons and Chike Ozah, who made some of West’s most important music videos. Simmons grew up in Chicago, as did Kanye, and began shooting video of West back in the late 1990s, well before the rapper released his first solo album.
Contenders TV Docs + Unscripted: — Deadline’s Complete Coverage
“To actually start documenting him, what inspired me was Hoop Dreams, the documentary...
The Netflix docuseries Jeen-yuhs: A Kanye Trilogy dials back to that time when Ye (as he calls himself now) struggled to be taken seriously as a solo artist. The series is directed by Coodie Simmons and Chike Ozah, who made some of West’s most important music videos. Simmons grew up in Chicago, as did Kanye, and began shooting video of West back in the late 1990s, well before the rapper released his first solo album.
Contenders TV Docs + Unscripted: — Deadline’s Complete Coverage
“To actually start documenting him, what inspired me was Hoop Dreams, the documentary...
- 4/23/2022
- by Matthew Carey
- Deadline Film + TV
Each week we highlight the noteworthy titles that have recently hit streaming platforms in the United States. Check out this week’s selections below and past round-ups here.
The Batman (Matt Reeves)
Over the 80 years of his comic book, televised, and cinematic existence, Batman has always grappled with his secretive dual identity. Bruce Wayne hobnobs and toasts champagne with fellow philanthropic one-percenters during the day, while his Caped Crusader alter-ego attempts to clean up Gotham City and its never-ending crime problem at night, a particularly torturous method of dealing with childhood trauma. But in The Batman, director Matt Reeves’ moody and riveting addition to the canon, that binary is mostly absent. The cape and cowl isn’t so much a nocturnal costume as it is around-the-clock attire. – Jake K. (full review)
Where to Stream: HBO Max
Brut Force (Eve Symington)
Finding a unique location to place a neo-noir––a genre...
The Batman (Matt Reeves)
Over the 80 years of his comic book, televised, and cinematic existence, Batman has always grappled with his secretive dual identity. Bruce Wayne hobnobs and toasts champagne with fellow philanthropic one-percenters during the day, while his Caped Crusader alter-ego attempts to clean up Gotham City and its never-ending crime problem at night, a particularly torturous method of dealing with childhood trauma. But in The Batman, director Matt Reeves’ moody and riveting addition to the canon, that binary is mostly absent. The cape and cowl isn’t so much a nocturnal costume as it is around-the-clock attire. – Jake K. (full review)
Where to Stream: HBO Max
Brut Force (Eve Symington)
Finding a unique location to place a neo-noir––a genre...
- 4/22/2022
- by Jordan Raup
- The Film Stage
As the title puts in no uncertain terms, directing duo Coodie and Chike’s four-and-a-half documentary Jeen-yuhs: A Kanye Trilogy treats the matter of the subject’s genius as a given. To the naysayers, that might still be up for debate. But to place someone as incendiary as Kanye West—the American rapper, producer, fashion designer, one-time presidential candidate, and billionaire now legally named Ye—in the dictionary besides that contentious and sacred word “genius” is to assert an obvious truth worth repeating: that hip-hop produces geniuses who should be recorded as such in the history and canon of art. The Black hip-hop artist is expected to work twice, thrice as hard, to accumulate laurels and corporate sponsorships, break records and become an exceptional humanitarian and entrepreneur, to even be considered a respectable artist by white America—let alone a genius. But Coodie and Chike do not waste much time...
- 3/13/2022
- MUBI
Few people have the ability to spot success from a mile away. Back when he was fresh in the game and hungry for success, Kanye’s friend, Coodie, who he met when he was only seventeen, picked up a camera and decided to document the rapper’s life. Coodie had seen a hint of jeen-yhus and rolled with it. What resulted was hours of footage of a struggling but determined Kanye starting out as a producer and working his way towards the very top of the world of music. Through Coodie’s lens, we got to experience jeen-yhus: A Kanye Trilogy, a documentary
Seven Life Lessons From “Jeen-Yuhs: A Kanye Trilogy”...
Seven Life Lessons From “Jeen-Yuhs: A Kanye Trilogy”...
- 3/11/2022
- by Nataly Owala
- TVovermind.com
Why Coodie & Chike’s ‘jeen-yuhs: A Kanye Trilogy’ is Genius – “act iii: Awakening” | jeen-yuhs Act 3
Photo: ‘jeen-yuhs: A Kanye Trilogy’ - “act iii: Awakening” Wednesday, March 2nd, the final installment of ‘jeen-yuhs: A Kanye Trilogy’, was released on Netflix: “act iii: Awakening.” This in-depth look into Kanye West’s rise to fame was a composite of footage director and friend Coodie Simmons (aka Coodie) had taken of the rapper over the past twenty years. The third and final act of ‘jeen-yuhs’ shows Kanye’s sudden and intense rise to fame. But we only see it from a distance. Once ‘The College Dropout’ was finally released, Ye’s career blew up, winning multiple Grammys, landing television interviews – Coodie became pushed to the sidelines. So, this part of the documentary looks at Ye from a new angle. Unlike the first two episodes, Coodie and Kanye’s lives are not joined at the hip. The bigger Ye got, the less he asked for Coodie to be around...
- 3/9/2022
- by Z Murphy
- Hollywood Insider - Substance & Meaningful Entertainment
Coodie Simmons is a name you’ve probably heard a lot lately. As the director of the new Netflix docuseries, Jeen-Yuhs, Coodie has introduced the world to a side of Kanye West that not many people have seen. Not long after meeting Kanye in the late 1990s, Coodie began filming Kanye’s journey as an up-and-coming producer who wanted to crossover into rapping. Although Coodie knew Kanye was going to be special, he probably never could’ve imagined that Ye would eventually become one of the biggest artists in the entire world. Not only did Coodie get to watch Kanye’s growth, but he
10 Things You Didn’t Know About Coodie...
10 Things You Didn’t Know About Coodie...
- 3/7/2022
- by Camille Moore
- TVovermind.com
“Tonight is not about Yeezus. It’s about Jesus,” said DeVon Franklin, the TV and film producer, bestselling author and VP of the Motion Picture Academy’s board of governors, introducing a panel at NeueHouse in Hollywood this week. It was both, of course, as the event he was leading was sponsored by Netflix and at least ostensibly in the service of promoting discussion about “Jeen-yuhs: A Kanye Trilogy,” the three-part documentary about hip-hop titan Kanye West that just rolled out over three weeks on the streaming service. Franklin wasn’t being misleading, though: Yahweh mentions did at least slightly beat out Ye shout-outs during the two-hour discussion, although there was no mistaking that the promise of discussing pop culture’s most polarizing figure was the chief lure for the members of L.A.’s Black church community that primarily made up the full house.
So is “Jeen-yuhs” really a faith-based film?...
So is “Jeen-yuhs” really a faith-based film?...
- 3/6/2022
- by Chris Willman
- Variety Film + TV
The stories we tell our children help them see the scale of their potential. The most heartbreaking scenes from the final installment of the Netflix documentary jeen-yuhs: A Kanye Trilogy illuminate the fact. Kanye’s mother, the late scholar and activist Donda West, believed in her son’s dreams with no reservation. She encouraged him to reach as high as his imagination would allow. The footage of them together from decades ago offers a glimpse of a young Ye at peace with himself. Rigidity makes way for warmth and Kanye...
- 3/3/2022
- by Jeff Ihaza
- Rollingstone.com
“jeen-yuhs” codirectors Coodie and Chike were smart to break up their documentary on Kanye West into three parts, especially where they did: “Act I: Vision” covers the earliest days of a future legend, “Act II: Purpose” zeroes in on the pivotal moment that he became a megastar, and “Act III: Awakening” explores the repercussions of that explosive success.
The only problem is that, as the insiders who made the first two acts, Coodie and Chike got kicked outside for the third — a perhaps natural progression for the inner circle of an artist who, as an underdog, wanted every moment of his life documented but now, as a superstar, almost certainly does not. Particularly, that is, in the current climate, when the rest of the media hangs on his every public act or social-media missive.
As a result, “Awakening” feels more forlorn and distant than its predecessors, unsure of how to...
The only problem is that, as the insiders who made the first two acts, Coodie and Chike got kicked outside for the third — a perhaps natural progression for the inner circle of an artist who, as an underdog, wanted every moment of his life documented but now, as a superstar, almost certainly does not. Particularly, that is, in the current climate, when the rest of the media hangs on his every public act or social-media missive.
As a result, “Awakening” feels more forlorn and distant than its predecessors, unsure of how to...
- 3/2/2022
- by Todd Gilchrist
- The Wrap
Photo: ‘Jeen-yuhs Part 2’ The three-part film is being released on Netflix in weekly installments, the final of which will be March 2nd, 2022, and the first of which was February 16th. It is directed by filmmaker, Coodie Simmons, who also partially stars in what is a uniquely intimate documentary. Mr. Simmons plays a key role both behind the camera and in Ye’s (formerly known as Kanye West) personal life. ‘jeen-yuhs’ is a film of a rare kind in its own cinematic right, as it is the distillation of footage amassed over two decades. Because of the sheer magnitude of the project, especially when covering the life of a celebrity such as Ye, it only makes sense that it be released in a longer form. However this, and the fact that we watch the man become the legend over years of his life, offers viewers the chance to sit with Ye,...
- 2/27/2022
- by Connor Garvin
- Hollywood Insider - Substance & Meaningful Entertainment
“Act II: Purpose,” the second part of filmmakers Coodie and Chike’s documentary “jeen-yuhs,” underscores an important element that shaped Kanye West’s ascent and eventual impact on not just hip-hop but popular culture as a whole: His middle-class Chicago upbringing liberated him from gangsta-rap clichés while opening the door (if even just slightly) to the music, fashion and art that eventually metastasized in West’s mega-aspirational music mogul persona.
As an equally thrilling portrait of an artist at a different but equally crucial moment before he became ubiquitous, “Purpose” is as self-contained as “Act I: Vision” while simultaneously being less intimate and more exciting, because it’s part of a story that we already know with a behind-the-scenes immediacy his fans never expected to experience.
Where “Vision” captured the scrappy ambition and relentless hustle that led to his first recording contract with Roc-a-Fella Records, its follow-up begins at the...
As an equally thrilling portrait of an artist at a different but equally crucial moment before he became ubiquitous, “Purpose” is as self-contained as “Act I: Vision” while simultaneously being less intimate and more exciting, because it’s part of a story that we already know with a behind-the-scenes immediacy his fans never expected to experience.
Where “Vision” captured the scrappy ambition and relentless hustle that led to his first recording contract with Roc-a-Fella Records, its follow-up begins at the...
- 2/23/2022
- by Todd Gilchrist
- The Wrap
Photo: ‘Jeen-yuhs: A Kanye Trilogy’ Kanye West the self-proclaimed ‘genius’ and ‘god’ has the first act of his documentary titled ‘Jeen-yuhs: A Kanye Trilogy’ available to watch on Netflix and the first act takes the audience back in time when West was a talented producer, trying to get signed to Roc-a-Fella Records. The entire documentary is about unseen footage of West from the past two decades which includes his career in music and fashion, the death of his mother Donda West, and his 2020 presidential campaign. The documentary is directed by Clarence Simmons aka Coodie and Chike Ozah and throughout the first act, Coodie narrates West’s story, therefore, giving more context of what West was thinking or feeling at that present moment. Related article: Oscar-nominated - 'West Side Story' Full Commentary - Rita Moreno, Steven Spielberg, Rachel Zegler Related article: Oscar-nominated - Exclusive: 'Dune' Full Commentary,...
- 2/19/2022
- by Ayana Hamilton
- Hollywood Insider - Substance & Meaningful Entertainment
Each week we highlight the noteworthy titles that have recently hit streaming platforms in the United States. Check out this week’s selections below and past round-ups here.
Antlers (Scott Cooper)
Scott Cooper is comfortable in the mud. The American director routinely finds himself in the confines of the lowdown and dirty, in gritty landscapes with working-class characters overcoming their shortcomings and often turning to violence to solve their problems. While his previous two features Black Mass and Hostiles failed to find tension in their deliberately tedious pacing, Antlers strikes the balance between methodology, terror, and blue-collar dynamics. – Erik N. (full review)
Where to Stream: HBO Max
Blackhat (Michael Mann)
Michael Mann is one of the few directors still making thoughtfully composed and visceral action films for an audience that refuses to turn its brain off. That Mann also chooses to tackle concerns of the modern world while still maintaining...
Antlers (Scott Cooper)
Scott Cooper is comfortable in the mud. The American director routinely finds himself in the confines of the lowdown and dirty, in gritty landscapes with working-class characters overcoming their shortcomings and often turning to violence to solve their problems. While his previous two features Black Mass and Hostiles failed to find tension in their deliberately tedious pacing, Antlers strikes the balance between methodology, terror, and blue-collar dynamics. – Erik N. (full review)
Where to Stream: HBO Max
Blackhat (Michael Mann)
Michael Mann is one of the few directors still making thoughtfully composed and visceral action films for an audience that refuses to turn its brain off. That Mann also chooses to tackle concerns of the modern world while still maintaining...
- 2/18/2022
- by Jordan Raup
- The Film Stage
This review of “jeen-yuhs: A Kanye Trilogy” was first published on Jan. 23, following its premiere at Sundance 2022.
It isn’t necessary to be a Kanye West fan to appreciate or enjoy the new three-part Netflix documentary “jeen-yuhs” — and these days it’s more understandable if you aren’t — but it helps.
No one has done more in the last several years to harm West’s reputation than West himself, but it will undoubtedly help the viewing experience to possess a degree of admiration for his accomplishments — or even just an ounce of empathy for his complex, contradictory, polarizing humanity — especially since co-directors Coodie and Chike do a more than serviceable job reminding their potential audience that for better or worse, just like everyone else, West is some mother’s son.
The first chapter of “jeen-yuhs,” “Act 1: Vision,” showcases the intimacy of the filmmakers’ connection to West and provides a context for documenting his journey.
It isn’t necessary to be a Kanye West fan to appreciate or enjoy the new three-part Netflix documentary “jeen-yuhs” — and these days it’s more understandable if you aren’t — but it helps.
No one has done more in the last several years to harm West’s reputation than West himself, but it will undoubtedly help the viewing experience to possess a degree of admiration for his accomplishments — or even just an ounce of empathy for his complex, contradictory, polarizing humanity — especially since co-directors Coodie and Chike do a more than serviceable job reminding their potential audience that for better or worse, just like everyone else, West is some mother’s son.
The first chapter of “jeen-yuhs,” “Act 1: Vision,” showcases the intimacy of the filmmakers’ connection to West and provides a context for documenting his journey.
- 2/17/2022
- by Todd Gilchrist
- The Wrap
Kanye West's life and career got the documentary treatment from Netflix in a three-part series titled "Jeen-Yuhs: A Kanye Trilogy." The behind-the-scenes documentary - which premiered at this year's Sundance Film Festival ahead of Netflix's Feb. 16 premiere - is "an intimate and revealing portrait of Kanye's experience" that focuses on his early days in music, his failed 2020 presidential bid, and his image as a businessman and artist. While West was involved in the making of the documentary, codirectors Coodie Simmons and Chike Ozah had control of the final cut.
West previously demanded that control be transferred over to him ahead of the documentary's premiere. "I'm going to say this kindly for the last time. I must get final edit and approval on this doc before it releases on Netflix," he wrote in a statement shared on Instagram on Jan. 21. "Open the edit room immediately so I can be in charge of my own image.
West previously demanded that control be transferred over to him ahead of the documentary's premiere. "I'm going to say this kindly for the last time. I must get final edit and approval on this doc before it releases on Netflix," he wrote in a statement shared on Instagram on Jan. 21. "Open the edit room immediately so I can be in charge of my own image.
- 2/17/2022
- by Njera Perkins
- Popsugar.com
The falsified myth of the overnight success is further solidified in jeen-yuhs: A Kanye Trilogy, a three-part, nearly five-hour documentary by Coodie & Chike, who have captured footage of Ye in fits and starts for over two decades. Structured with gratifying patience in detailing the painstaking ambition required to see one’s dreams come true, its first two “acts”––Vision and Purpose––are the most compelling, strictly focusing on his producer beginnings and the long journey of making his 2004 debut album The College Dropout. In exploring a figure as complicated and contradictory as Kanye West, this documentary mostly lets the artist speak for himself through the directors’ own footage, examining the mix of braggadocio and brilliance that slowly got him on the radar of top players in the hip-hop game. The project ultimately falters in its final act, Awakening, which moves from intimate to sprawling, attempting to swiftly wrap up over...
- 2/17/2022
- by Jordan Raup
- The Film Stage
In the beginning, there was only the video camera and the birthday party.
Long before the endless album delays and perpetually in-progress tracks, before the eclipsing-the-main-event listening parties, before the beautiful dark twisted fantasies, before the tabloids and tantrums and meltdowns and fashion lines and presidential bids (but not before the ego trips — let’s be honest here), he was just a young dreamer from Chicago with a mouth retainer, mugging for the TV crew. As for the guy behind the camcorder asking him questions, that’s Coodie Simmons, a...
Long before the endless album delays and perpetually in-progress tracks, before the eclipsing-the-main-event listening parties, before the beautiful dark twisted fantasies, before the tabloids and tantrums and meltdowns and fashion lines and presidential bids (but not before the ego trips — let’s be honest here), he was just a young dreamer from Chicago with a mouth retainer, mugging for the TV crew. As for the guy behind the camcorder asking him questions, that’s Coodie Simmons, a...
- 2/15/2022
- by David Fear
- Rollingstone.com
Kanye West made a surprise last-minute appearance at a Los Angeles screening Friday of the upcoming Netflix docuseries Jeen-Yuhs: A Kanye Trilogy.
Ye showed up about 15 minutes into the screening of the first part of the film, sitting on a chair in the front corner of the room, Variety reports.
The rapper’s slightly tardy appearance at the screening likely caught attendees — including Usher, Offset and Roddy Ricch — off-guard as West had previously demanded (and was denied) editing access to the three-part documentary prior to its premiere at the Sundance Film Festival in January.
Ye showed up about 15 minutes into the screening of the first part of the film, sitting on a chair in the front corner of the room, Variety reports.
The rapper’s slightly tardy appearance at the screening likely caught attendees — including Usher, Offset and Roddy Ricch — off-guard as West had previously demanded (and was denied) editing access to the three-part documentary prior to its premiere at the Sundance Film Festival in January.
- 2/12/2022
- by Daniel Kreps
- Rollingstone.com
All eyes will be on Netflix this Wednesday when the streaming service releases the first episode of its “jeen-yuhs: A Kanye Trilogy.” The highly anticipated Kanye West docuseries, over two decades in the making, recently debuted to strong reviews at Sundance. But the rollout recently hit a few snags as the rapper has publicly bristled with Netflix about the series.
However, it seems that all might be forgiven between Ye and “jeen-yuhs” directors Coodie and Chike Ozah. Variety reports that the rapper attended a screening of his documentary on Friday night, where he was seen embracing the two directors and spoke to the celebrity-filled crowd after the screening ended. He continued to express his distrust for Hollywood executives as a whole, but said he appreciated the belief that Coodie and Ozah had in him and the 20-year relationship he shares with them. The controversy-loving star also found time to offer words of support to DaBaby,...
However, it seems that all might be forgiven between Ye and “jeen-yuhs” directors Coodie and Chike Ozah. Variety reports that the rapper attended a screening of his documentary on Friday night, where he was seen embracing the two directors and spoke to the celebrity-filled crowd after the screening ended. He continued to express his distrust for Hollywood executives as a whole, but said he appreciated the belief that Coodie and Ozah had in him and the 20-year relationship he shares with them. The controversy-loving star also found time to offer words of support to DaBaby,...
- 2/12/2022
- by Christian Zilko
- Indiewire
Kanye West made a surprise appearance at a preview of the Netflix docuseries “Jeen-Yuhs” at Citizen News in Hollywood on Friday night.
Celebs in the 300-strong audience at the Super Bowl Weekend event included Taraji P. Henson, Offset, Usher and Roddy Rich and Recording Academy CEO Harvey Mason jr. and co-president Valeisha Butterfield Jones.
West arrived at about 8:15. He made a beeline to the screening, which had started about 15 minutes earlier. A staffer brought him a chair to watch from a front corner of the room.
After the screening, West hugged co-directors Coodie and Chike.
… @kanyewest is here. #JeenYuhs #justforvariety pic.twitter.com/9mhyhEs4IG
— Marc Malkin (@marcmalkin) February 12, 2022
His appearance was noteworthy in itself, as he’d sparred with Netflix over editorial control of the film. “I’m going to say this kindly for the last time,” he wrote on Instagram last month. “I must get final edit...
Celebs in the 300-strong audience at the Super Bowl Weekend event included Taraji P. Henson, Offset, Usher and Roddy Rich and Recording Academy CEO Harvey Mason jr. and co-president Valeisha Butterfield Jones.
West arrived at about 8:15. He made a beeline to the screening, which had started about 15 minutes earlier. A staffer brought him a chair to watch from a front corner of the room.
After the screening, West hugged co-directors Coodie and Chike.
… @kanyewest is here. #JeenYuhs #justforvariety pic.twitter.com/9mhyhEs4IG
— Marc Malkin (@marcmalkin) February 12, 2022
His appearance was noteworthy in itself, as he’d sparred with Netflix over editorial control of the film. “I’m going to say this kindly for the last time,” he wrote on Instagram last month. “I must get final edit...
- 2/12/2022
- by Marc Malkin
- Variety Film + TV
Some weeks it seems like the streamers really are catering to every demographic. How else can you explain a single week that sees both the “Texas Chainsaw Massacre” and “Marvelous Mrs. Maisel” franchises making long overdue returns? There’s also a new Adam Scott show that makes returning to the office an even creepier experience, a dramatic retelling of “The Fresh Prince of Bel-Air,” and animated adventures starring Mickey Mouse and Cuphead. See? Every demographic dutifully covered.
On with the television!
Apple TV+
“Severance”
Friday, February 18, Apple TV+
After directing 2018’s Emmy-nominated limited series for Showtime, “Escape at Dannemora,” Ben Stiller returns to helm six of the nine episodes of Apple TV+’s trippy new prestige series “Severance.” Created by Dan Erickson, the series stars Adam Scott as a man who works for a mysterious company called Lumon Industries. In an effort to keep the business’ operations a secret, employees...
On with the television!
Apple TV+
“Severance”
Friday, February 18, Apple TV+
After directing 2018’s Emmy-nominated limited series for Showtime, “Escape at Dannemora,” Ben Stiller returns to helm six of the nine episodes of Apple TV+’s trippy new prestige series “Severance.” Created by Dan Erickson, the series stars Adam Scott as a man who works for a mysterious company called Lumon Industries. In an effort to keep the business’ operations a secret, employees...
- 2/11/2022
- by Drew Taylor
- The Wrap
The new documentary Jeen-Yuhs: A Kanye Trilogy is four-and-a-half-hours worth of revelatory footage of Kanye West — and directors Coodie and Chike cut it down from 330 hours, dating back to the early 2000s.
Their first cut, they reveal on the new episode of our Rolling Stone Music Now podcast, was nine hours long. “If it’s not moving the story forward, you have to let [it go],” says Coodie, who was a comedian and host of the Chicago hip-hop TV show Channel Zero before dropping everything to follow West to New York.
He...
Their first cut, they reveal on the new episode of our Rolling Stone Music Now podcast, was nine hours long. “If it’s not moving the story forward, you have to let [it go],” says Coodie, who was a comedian and host of the Chicago hip-hop TV show Channel Zero before dropping everything to follow West to New York.
He...
- 2/10/2022
- by Brian Hiatt
- Rollingstone.com
It was destiny for Coodie and Chike to make jeen-yuhs: A Kanye Trilogy. The duo directed Ye’s video for “Through the Wire,” but before that Coodie left his career in stand-up comedy to pursue a dream of filmmaking. That dream would take Coodie on the ride of his life following Ye from Chicago to New York City, where Ye would make everyone at Roc-a-Fella Records listen to his demos for The College Dropout until Jay-Z signed him. Coodie filmed Ye off and on for 21 years, until the musician moved into the Mercedes-Benz Stadium in Atlanta last summer to finish his latest album Donda.
We spoke with Coodie and Chike about why they kept Ye from editing the documentary, what they think of Ye’s suggestion that Drake narrate the movie, and how, according to Coodie, God wrote the movie and Jesus directed it.
The first movie in jeen-yuhs: A...
We spoke with Coodie and Chike about why they kept Ye from editing the documentary, what they think of Ye’s suggestion that Drake narrate the movie, and how, according to Coodie, God wrote the movie and Jesus directed it.
The first movie in jeen-yuhs: A...
- 2/10/2022
- by Joshua Encinias
- The Film Stage
There’s no denying the artistic genius of Kanye West, and for anyone who had The College Dropout on repeat, the three-part epic jeen-yuhs: A Kanye Trilogy will likely be the cinematic event of the spring. Directors Coodie & Chike—who filmed the artist for around two decades, well before he ever signed to a label––bring a wealth of personal insight to his rise. Ahead of a Netflix release across three weeks, the full trailer has now arrived.
While I’ve only seen the first “act” thus far, courtesy Sundance, it’s a treasure trove of behind-the-scenes bits, most notably a sequence wherein West tries getting busy marketing employees at Roc-a-Fella Records to listen to “All Falls Down,” going from desk to desk before eventually giving up. This first part aka Act 1 (Vision) will also be arriving in theaters for one day only on February 10.
Watch the trailer below.
jeen-yuhs:...
While I’ve only seen the first “act” thus far, courtesy Sundance, it’s a treasure trove of behind-the-scenes bits, most notably a sequence wherein West tries getting busy marketing employees at Roc-a-Fella Records to listen to “All Falls Down,” going from desk to desk before eventually giving up. This first part aka Act 1 (Vision) will also be arriving in theaters for one day only on February 10.
Watch the trailer below.
jeen-yuhs:...
- 2/7/2022
- by Jordan Raup
- The Film Stage
"The goal was to see how far his dreams would take him, but I had no idea where life would take us next." Netflix has debuted the full-length official trailer for their epic three-part documentary series jeen-yuhs: A Kanye Trilogy, looking back at the prolific rise & musical genius of hip-hop mastermind Kanye West. This doc just premiered at the 2022 Sundance Film Festival recently. Their intro: "You can't manufacture a project like jeen-yuhs: A Kanye Trilogy; it takes decades of vision, commitment, prayers, and perspective to produce. It seems providential that Coodie & Chike should be the ones to make the definitive film about [his] career thus far, as they were the filmmakers who introduced him to the masses with their documentary music video for 'Through the Wire.' This epic three-film doc features hours of fly-on-the-wall footage and paints a sweeping portrait of one of pop culture’s most controversial figures." What a killer trailer.
- 2/5/2022
- by Alex Billington
- firstshowing.net
Two weeks before the streaming premiere of Jeen-Yuhs: A Kanye Trilogy, Netflix has shared the latest trailer for the in-depth, decades-spanning documentary about the rapper.
“Act 1” of the three-part series arrives Feb. 16, and the two-minute preview covers much of the ground that will feature in the debut episode, namely West’s gradual ascent from eager Chicago beatmaker to a bonafide rapper in his own right. The trailer also hints at the stardom that was soon to follow, as well as West’s own belief that his career was preordained by God.
“Act 1” of the three-part series arrives Feb. 16, and the two-minute preview covers much of the ground that will feature in the debut episode, namely West’s gradual ascent from eager Chicago beatmaker to a bonafide rapper in his own right. The trailer also hints at the stardom that was soon to follow, as well as West’s own belief that his career was preordained by God.
- 2/4/2022
- by Daniel Kreps
- Rollingstone.com
Days before its official release, Netflix has unveiled the full trailer of the Kanye West documentary “jeen-yuhs: A Kanye Trilogy.” But unlike the initial teaser released last month, this new, full look gives a preview of all three parts of West’s epic journey.
“When I first put the camera on this up-and-coming producer back in ’98, I knew he was destined for greatness. The goal would be to see how long his dreams would take him. But I had no idea where life would take us next,” the film’s director and narrator Clarence “Coodie” SImmons” says in the new trailer. “It felt like the bigger Kanye got, the farther we grew apart. But there was more to Kanye’s story I needed to tell.”
The first part of the seven-hour documentary series looked at West’s struggles trying to make it as a rapper in Chicago, and in Todd Gilchrist...
“When I first put the camera on this up-and-coming producer back in ’98, I knew he was destined for greatness. The goal would be to see how long his dreams would take him. But I had no idea where life would take us next,” the film’s director and narrator Clarence “Coodie” SImmons” says in the new trailer. “It felt like the bigger Kanye got, the farther we grew apart. But there was more to Kanye’s story I needed to tell.”
The first part of the seven-hour documentary series looked at West’s struggles trying to make it as a rapper in Chicago, and in Todd Gilchrist...
- 2/4/2022
- by Brian Welk
- The Wrap
Coodie and Chike, the directors behind the decade-spanning, three-part new Kanye West documentary Jeen-Yuhs, say they had no advance notice before Ye suddenly demanded creative control over their film in an Instagram post last week. But the directors have no intention of agreeing to “open the edit room” to Ye, and not just because they’d already finished all three parts, which debut on Netflix Feb. 16. “Me and Chike have a company called Creative Control,” says Coodie, “because you don’t want to lose your creative control.”
At the same time,...
At the same time,...
- 2/1/2022
- by Brian Hiatt
- Rollingstone.com
With nearly every feature film at the 2022 Sundance Film Festival reviewed, it’s time to wrap up the first major cinema event of the year. We already got the official jury and audience winners here, and now it’s time to highlight our favorites.
Our Sundance contributors have shared their top picks from the festival, also including a handful of shorts (with a more substantial shorts overview coming soon). Check out everything below and stay tuned to our site, and specifically Twitter, for acquisition and release date news on the below films in the coming months.
Mitchell Beaupre
1. Emily the Criminal (John Patton Ford)
2. After Yang (kogonada)
3. Speak No Evil (Christian Tafdrup)
4. God’s Country (Julian Higgins)
5. A Love Song (Max Walker-Silverman)
6. Resurrection (Andrew Semans)
7. Nanny (Nikyatu Jusu)
8. Happening (Audrey Diwan)
9. Emergency (Carey Williams)
10. Good Luck to You, Leo Grande (Sophie Hyde)
John Fink
1. The Worst Person in the World (Joachim Trier...
Our Sundance contributors have shared their top picks from the festival, also including a handful of shorts (with a more substantial shorts overview coming soon). Check out everything below and stay tuned to our site, and specifically Twitter, for acquisition and release date news on the below films in the coming months.
Mitchell Beaupre
1. Emily the Criminal (John Patton Ford)
2. After Yang (kogonada)
3. Speak No Evil (Christian Tafdrup)
4. God’s Country (Julian Higgins)
5. A Love Song (Max Walker-Silverman)
6. Resurrection (Andrew Semans)
7. Nanny (Nikyatu Jusu)
8. Happening (Audrey Diwan)
9. Emergency (Carey Williams)
10. Good Luck to You, Leo Grande (Sophie Hyde)
John Fink
1. The Worst Person in the World (Joachim Trier...
- 2/1/2022
- by The Film Stage
- The Film Stage
The first big event movie of 2022 doesn’t feature any superheroes, though Kanye West might disagree. “Jeen-yuhs,” the sprawling three-part documentary chronicling 20 years of the rapper’s life, provides a remarkable window into his early hustle and determination as well as his hubris and mental health issues. Co-director Clarence “Coodie” Simmons, who first interviewed West in 1998, has built an astonishing portrait of his talent in motion and the fragility inherent to his mystique.
The most extraordinary thing about “Jeen-yuhs” is that it’s allowed to exist in the first place. West’s creativity may only be matched by his control over his life’s narrative. Netflix acquired the documentary for a reported $30 million last year and, starting February 16, the streaming platform will release it over the course of three weeks.
In the aftermath of the film’s virtual Sundance premiere, followed by West demanding via Instagram to “open the edit...
The most extraordinary thing about “Jeen-yuhs” is that it’s allowed to exist in the first place. West’s creativity may only be matched by his control over his life’s narrative. Netflix acquired the documentary for a reported $30 million last year and, starting February 16, the streaming platform will release it over the course of three weeks.
In the aftermath of the film’s virtual Sundance premiere, followed by West demanding via Instagram to “open the edit...
- 1/27/2022
- by Eric Kohn
- Indiewire
Kanye’s demands for the final cut on Jeen-yuhs makes its Sundance premiere all the more fascinating.
The three-part Netflix documentary directed by Clarence “Coodie” Simmons and Chike Ozah is raw, rambling and riveting in equal measure. The press screener – labeled ‘Work In Progress’ – features previously unseen footage from 21 years of the performing artist’s life. It’s far from an exhaustive biography, but it offers an intriguing insight into hip hop, fame, race, grief, mental health and perhaps most of all, friendship.
In Act 1: “Vision”, Coodie’s voiceover veers between interesting and intrusive as he narrates the process of making the documentary through the prism of his relationship with Kanye.
“He knew it would take a lot for him to earn people’s respect as a rapper,” he says, as we watch the young producer touting his wares at record companies. Coodie and Ozah keep the camera rolling during late-night recording sessions,...
The three-part Netflix documentary directed by Clarence “Coodie” Simmons and Chike Ozah is raw, rambling and riveting in equal measure. The press screener – labeled ‘Work In Progress’ – features previously unseen footage from 21 years of the performing artist’s life. It’s far from an exhaustive biography, but it offers an intriguing insight into hip hop, fame, race, grief, mental health and perhaps most of all, friendship.
In Act 1: “Vision”, Coodie’s voiceover veers between interesting and intrusive as he narrates the process of making the documentary through the prism of his relationship with Kanye.
“He knew it would take a lot for him to earn people’s respect as a rapper,” he says, as we watch the young producer touting his wares at record companies. Coodie and Ozah keep the camera rolling during late-night recording sessions,...
- 1/24/2022
- by Anna Smith
- Deadline Film + TV
Coodie Simmons and Chike Ozah spent 22 years chronicling the life and career of rapper Kanye West. In October 2019, Coodie, a former stand-up comedian turned music video and documentary director, and his longtime creative partner and co-director, Ozah, successfully pitched the project to Time Studios.
Over the last three years they have worked on taking 330 hours of footage and editing it down to three feature-length documentaries, titled “Jeen-Yuhs.” The project, which Netflix acquired last fall, premieres at Sundance Jan. 23.
How did you decide to make three feature-length documentaries as opposed to a one-off doc?
Ozah: It was really all about serving the project. What was best for the project. And so, making three films made sense. Time and Netflix were not about making it fit into a format that didn’t make sense for what we had created.
Simmons: Our first assembly was eight hours long and then we cut all...
Over the last three years they have worked on taking 330 hours of footage and editing it down to three feature-length documentaries, titled “Jeen-Yuhs.” The project, which Netflix acquired last fall, premieres at Sundance Jan. 23.
How did you decide to make three feature-length documentaries as opposed to a one-off doc?
Ozah: It was really all about serving the project. What was best for the project. And so, making three films made sense. Time and Netflix were not about making it fit into a format that didn’t make sense for what we had created.
Simmons: Our first assembly was eight hours long and then we cut all...
- 1/21/2022
- by Addie Morfoot
- Variety Film + TV
In October 2019, Coodie, a former stand-up comedian-turned-music video and documentary director known only by one name, brought an overstuffed duffel bag to his big meeting with Time Studios in New York. Executives sitting in for his movie pitch — a look at the life and career of rapper Kanye West, complete with an intense archive of unseen footage spanning more than two decades — assumed he had come from the gym.
“I dumped the bag out right there on the table,” he says. “When they saw the pile of mini-dv tapes, they greenlit it.” To suggest that Coodie and his longtime creative partner and co-director Chike Ozah were finally getting their shot wouldn’t be quite accurate. Their ride-along on the personal history of one of the most celebrated rappers and polarizing celebrities of our time was always going to find its way to audiences. But, much like a long-delayed album or...
“I dumped the bag out right there on the table,” he says. “When they saw the pile of mini-dv tapes, they greenlit it.” To suggest that Coodie and his longtime creative partner and co-director Chike Ozah were finally getting their shot wouldn’t be quite accurate. Their ride-along on the personal history of one of the most celebrated rappers and polarizing celebrities of our time was always going to find its way to audiences. But, much like a long-delayed album or...
- 1/19/2022
- by Matt Donnelly
- Variety Film + TV
Kicking off next week, the 2022 Sundance Film Festival gives us a first glimpse at the year in cinema. Ahead of the virtual-only festival, we’re providing our yearly trailer round-up for those interested in a preview of the lineup.
Ahead of our coverage, bookmark this page for a continually-updated round-up of trailers and clips, kicking off with Hatching, jeen-yuhs, You Won’t Be Alone, Girl Picture, and more.
Check out the trailers below thus far in alphabetical order and we’ll be publishing reviews soon, so follow along here.
The Cathedral (Ricky D’Ambrose)
Gentle (via Cineuropa)
Girl Picture (Alli Haapasalo)
Happening (Audrey Diwan)
Hatching (Hanna Bergholm)
jeen-yuhs (Coodie & Chike)
Neptune Frost (Saul Williams & Anisia Uzeyman)
Piggy (Carlota Pereda)
Three Minutes – A Lengthening (Bianca Stigter)
You Won’t Be Alone (Goran Stolevski)
The Worst Person in the World (Joachim Trier)
The post Sundance Film Festival 2022 Trailer Round-Up first appeared on The Film Stage.
Ahead of our coverage, bookmark this page for a continually-updated round-up of trailers and clips, kicking off with Hatching, jeen-yuhs, You Won’t Be Alone, Girl Picture, and more.
Check out the trailers below thus far in alphabetical order and we’ll be publishing reviews soon, so follow along here.
The Cathedral (Ricky D’Ambrose)
Gentle (via Cineuropa)
Girl Picture (Alli Haapasalo)
Happening (Audrey Diwan)
Hatching (Hanna Bergholm)
jeen-yuhs (Coodie & Chike)
Neptune Frost (Saul Williams & Anisia Uzeyman)
Piggy (Carlota Pereda)
Three Minutes – A Lengthening (Bianca Stigter)
You Won’t Be Alone (Goran Stolevski)
The Worst Person in the World (Joachim Trier)
The post Sundance Film Festival 2022 Trailer Round-Up first appeared on The Film Stage.
- 1/12/2022
- by Jordan Raup
- The Film Stage
Netflix has dropped a new teaser trailer for its forthcoming three-part Kanye West documentary titled “Jeen-yuhs,” which it promises allows fans to “step inside the journey of Kanye West.”
Directed by Clarence “Coodie” Simmons and Chike Ozah (a.k.a. Coodie and Chike), “Jeen-yuhs: A Kanye Trilogy” is “an intimate and revealing portrait of Kanye West’s experience, showcasing both his formative days trying to break through and his life today as a global brand and artist.”
The three-part series launches Feb. 16 on Netflix, but part one will have a world premiere — virtually — at the Sundance Film Festival later this month. On Feb. 10, Iconic Events Releasing and Time Studios will debut “Act 1 (Vision)” in theaters nationwide for a one-day engagement, six days ahead of the premiere. The move echoes West’s public airings of his Grammy-nominated 2021 album “Donda,” for which he held four previews — three of them paid events in stadiums in Atlanta and Chicago.
Directed by Clarence “Coodie” Simmons and Chike Ozah (a.k.a. Coodie and Chike), “Jeen-yuhs: A Kanye Trilogy” is “an intimate and revealing portrait of Kanye West’s experience, showcasing both his formative days trying to break through and his life today as a global brand and artist.”
The three-part series launches Feb. 16 on Netflix, but part one will have a world premiere — virtually — at the Sundance Film Festival later this month. On Feb. 10, Iconic Events Releasing and Time Studios will debut “Act 1 (Vision)” in theaters nationwide for a one-day engagement, six days ahead of the premiere. The move echoes West’s public airings of his Grammy-nominated 2021 album “Donda,” for which he held four previews — three of them paid events in stadiums in Atlanta and Chicago.
- 1/10/2022
- by Jem Aswad
- Variety Film + TV
Documentaries about Kanye West, Sinead O’Connor and the Middle East’s first female metal band are set to premiere at the 2022 Sundance Film Festival.
The Utah fest announced its programming slate Thursday, with the O’Connor documentary Nothing Compares set to make its debut as part of the World Cinema Documentary Competition. The film, directed by Irish filmmaker Kathryn Ferguson, boasts archive footage — much of it unseen — from the period of O’Connor’s career stretching from 1987 to 1993, as well as new interviews with the singer herself.
“As an Irish woman,...
The Utah fest announced its programming slate Thursday, with the O’Connor documentary Nothing Compares set to make its debut as part of the World Cinema Documentary Competition. The film, directed by Irish filmmaker Kathryn Ferguson, boasts archive footage — much of it unseen — from the period of O’Connor’s career stretching from 1987 to 1993, as well as new interviews with the singer herself.
“As an Irish woman,...
- 12/10/2021
- by Daniel Kreps
- Rollingstone.com
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